The Proof of Their Love
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: It had been almost 7 years since the War of the Numbers. The past still plagues him, but the future gives him hope. HolyIceShipping. My 100th story!


**Zexal Oneshot**

**The Proof of Their Love **

**Romance**

**Durbe/Rio/OC**

**It had been almost 7 years since the War of the Numbers. The past still plagues him, but the future gives him hope. HolyIceShipping. My 100th story!**

**(Don't own Zexal. Actually pretty grateful too. Can only imagine the faces of angered fans if I did.)**

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The Proof of Their Love

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"_Merag! Merag!"_

_ Her pink eyes looked to him as she fell, a light smile gracing her features. _

_ He tried to reach out to her. His arm was surely going to be inflammed because of him stretching his arm past its limits, but he didn't care. Her safety came first in his mind. _

_ "MERAG!"_

_ She didn't respond. Her body had gone limp._

_ His eyes widened with horror when her snow white form had finally made contact with the crystal ocean below._

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Durbe shot up in bed, his body covered in a veil of sweat. His breathing began to steady at a slow pace, but it was far from comfortable for him. Pulling himself out of bed, he walked toward the bathroom and splashed water onto his face, his hands still trembling from the nightmare.

No. From the memory. The horrid memory from his previous life. The memory that only came to be because of Don Thousand's tainted hand.

How he hated that memory. He could still feel the stinging wind against his face. His ears so constantly rang with the cacophony of battle cries and monstrous whines. He could still smell the salt water below Mach's incredible hooves, as well as the flowery soap that Merag used in her hair.

That memory haunted him every time he closed his eyes. His only failure in that life.

The fact that he could not protect the one he loved from certain doom.

"Durbe? What's the matter?"

Slowly, Durbe looked to the entrance of the bathroom. A sigh escaped him when he saw who had spoken to him.

Rio Kamishiro, now Rio Knight.

His wife for almost 14 months. There she was, standing just as beautiful as the day he'd first met her. Her blue hair was cascading down her back, her deep pink eyes swimming with worry. A robe was draped over her slim frame, hiding her pale skin and ocean blue nightgown. She walked over to him, placing her slender hand on his right shoulder blade. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Durbe slowly placed his calloused hand on her own. His golden wedding band sparkled in the bathroom's light. Then he gave a terse nod. He said nothing for a moment after. Rio knew perfectly well what was ailing him. She suffered from it too.

All the former Emperors did.

Occasionally, while they slept, their past memories would come back to them in bits and pieces, haunting them with their worst experiences. Most of the Barian Emperors had either blocked them out or simply forgotten about them after awakening. Not Durbe. His knightly soul wouldn't allow it.

It simply wouldn't allow it.

"You know you can talk about it," Rio said, looking into her husband's tired grey eyes. "That's why I'm here, after all."

Durbe looked back to his wife and smiled.

Then their little moment was disrupted by the sound of a tiny cry. Both their heads jerked to their bedroom, where the source was coming from. Then they chuckled.

A mere moment later, they entered the room. Then they walked over to the little crib. The proof of the love between princess and knight was wide awake and was more than a little eager to have one of her parents pick her up. Her little, round face was red from calling out for her parents, her wide grey eyes were looking up at them with an 'I got your attention' look. She more than likely inherited that from her mother.

With a light chuckle, Durbe picked his daughter up. "Alright, Merag," he said, placing his hand under her blue head of hair. "Come here."

"She's probably hungry," Rio said, brushing her finger against Merag's little face.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Durbe responded, holding his daughter in his arms with a bright smile on his face.

Rio nearly giggled at the sight. When Durbe first found out that he was going to be a father, barely months into their marriage, he was overjoyed. That happiness was added on when their little girl was born.

Merag.

The only name that suited her.

"I'm going to get her bottle ready," Rio said.

"Okay," Durbe responded.

With that, and a light nod, Rio left their bedroom, leaving Durbe alone with their infant daughter.

Slowly, Durbe sat down on the bed, his eyes locked on little Merag. She cooed like the baby she was and reached out to her father. Durbe could only chuckled as he placed his finger in her pudgy hand.

Merag's big, grey eyes stared up at Durbe, her entire face glowing with innocence.

Durbe could only let out a chuckle.

"I'm back."

Then he looked up to the door to the bedroom. He hadn't realized how quickly the time went by. Rio was back in the room, a warm bottle for Merag in hand.

It didn't take long for Merag to notice, as she started giggling and reaching out for her mother with both her hands.

"I think she wants you now," Durbe said with a smile, getting off the bed.

Then he held Merag out to Rio, the former making all sorts of adorable baby sounds as she reached out to her mother. Rio could only laugh. "Alright," Rio relented happily, sitting down on the bed and taking Merag from Durbe's waiting arms. "Here you go, Merag-chan~."

Then she held the bottle out to Merag, who quickly giggled and started sucking on her meal.

Both parents exchanged a chuckle, followed by Durbe sitting back down and wrapping his arm around Rio's shoulder. "She's so beautiful," he thought happily.

Then he rested his head against Rio's shoulder, taking in the scent of her hair. Rio cast him a sidelong glance a moment later. Then she smiled. Durbe was falling asleep against her shoulder. Made sense, though. He was dead tired.

Chuckling, Rio looked down to Merag. "Your daddy is sleepy," she giggled.

Merag didn't give a response to that of any kind. She was too busy enjoying her meal. But she **did** give her mother another one of her wide-eyed faces. She totally had to have learned those from her father somehow.

Durbe opened his eyes a crack, allowing him to have one more look at his little girl before falling asleep for the rest of the night.

His little girl.

His pride and joy.

The proof of the love between princess and knight.

Durbe's past life was hardly what people would have called amazing. Of that, he had no doubt. Nor was his life as a Barian, where every day was a life or death situation, betrayals and losses threatening him at every corner. But as long as he had his wife and daughter, it didn't matter. He was happy nonetheless.

He wished for their happiness, nothing more.

Just so long as his daughter didn't start taking lessons from her uncle later on. The last thing he needed was a Ryoga Kamishiro Jr. that wasn't actually Ryoga Kamishiro Jr.

Actually, it would probably be a better idea that none of her uncles rubbed off on her. Yes, that includes Yuma and his crazy set of friends.

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**D.T.B: I just couldn't resist any longer. You should really blame CatNinja and Justanotherdreamgirl for the craziness that is my 100th story posted. CatNinja for writing a story involving Durbe becoming a father and Justanotherdreamgirl for thinking that the big secret for Durbe in TTAS was the fact that he and Rio were married rather than simply engaged. And I think I'll hang onto little Merag for a while. Never know. I might use her again. :D**

**Sirius: Oh, Barian World. You named my niece MERAG!?**

**D.T.B: Okay. So I don't have an imagination.**


End file.
